One bite and you’ll be screaming, “Gimme MO of those Mo-tella Fudge DIY Protein Bars!!”

If you’re looking for a tasty, quick breakfast/snack on the go, make these Healthy Mo-tella Fudge DIY Protein Bars. Natural ingredients come together to make this fudgy goodness as guilt-free as possible so you can feel good about eating them. You can have ALL the taste of Nutella® but without all the nasty sugar, added oils, and preservatives.

These protein bars are for serious chocolate lovers only. Either join the chocolate-lovers club or get outta here.

You must make these protein bars as soon as you step foot inside your kitchen. You will have quick and easy snacks all ready for you for the entire week! If they last that long. All by myself, these lasted me 3 days (there is NO such thing as taking things slowly). When I was in college, I used to take them to school to snack in between classes. Every time the bell rang, a huge smile would creep on my face. Oh yeah, the bell meant it was snack time. I’d eat a protein bar before class (for concentration, fuel, and energy) and a protein bar after class (as a post-class reward, duhhh).

I wonder how long this chocolate-hazelnut goodness will last in YOUR home? Not long, I’m sure. Not long at all 😉

Directions:

Notes:

I originally wasn’t going to share the recipe here because I worked so incredibly hard on publishing DIY Protein Bars. But, I understand not having a recipe here can be frustrating. So, I’ll meet you halfway… how does that sound? I’ll show you all the ingredients I use in the recipe. That way, you can determine on your own whether or not the cookbook is for you!

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I am so incredibly lucky to be a part of such a loving, adoring, and supportive online community. Here are some of the pictures readers have shared with me on social media and via email of their Mo-tella Protein Bar remakes!

– Jess

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PS: If you like this recipe, then you’ll LOVE my DIY Protein Bars Cookbook! With 48 protein bar recipes, you’ll never buy protein bars from the store again. To learn more about the book and see some sneak peeks, see this page!

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These look interesting, I’ve never seen vegan fudge made with oat flour before! I’ve tried vegan “fudges” before and not been entirely satisfied with the too-soft texture; these look as though they have a bit more firmness and bite to them:) Will have to try… would it be possible to make these with regular cocoa powder instead of protein powder? Obviously the protein won’t be there, but that stuff is just so expensive xD

Shonalika-
These protein bars are soft and fudgy, but they still hold their shape when you bite into them 🙂
As for the cocoa powder, I’m afraid that won’t work. Cocoa powder is very bitter and the protein bars will have an overpowering bitter chocolate taste. The protein powder acts as a binder (it absorbs a lot of liquid), adds flavor and provides structure.

Hmmm, I haven’t tried using pea protein so I can’t be sure. Although, most vegan protein powders seem to work similarly — they all absorb a lot of liquid and seem to give off the same texture. If you give it a shot, I hope the recipe works out and that the protein bars taste DELICIOUS! 😀
-Jess

I just stumbled across this site yesterday and I’m completely obsessed. I’ve already purchased two products from your links and will doubtless get more as I try more recipes.

Question regarding the vanilla flavored Stevia: could one not add actual vanilla/extract/paste to the protein bars and stick with the unflavored Stevia? I’m a vanilla fanatic (I’m making your homemade paste tomorrow) and much prefer to stick with the bean rather than flavorings.

I’m so glad you found my blog!! You can definitely substitute the 1 tsp vanilla-flavored stevia with 1 tsp of regular stevia + 1/2 tsp vanilla paste.
If you’re a vanilla fanatic, go ahead and up the paste to 1 tsp or use the beans from about 1/2 a real vanilla bean pod 🙂
Hope you like the protein bars!
-Jess

Thank you! I think I’ll use the beans themselves since the paste will add some sweetness.

On an unrelated note, do you take challenges? Because I would dearly love to see you take on the greatness that is the Amaretti di Saronno cookie. Replicating that miraculous crunchy texture is a difficult task even using traditional ingredients. Only your diligence, fearlessness and stubborn refusal to settle for second best could make the magic happen with healthier ingredients.

In my experience, coconut flour absorbs A TON of water… especially compared to oat flour. I have no idea how or why (probably the fiber?), so I don’t think it would work in this recipe. If you are looking for a low carb sub you can try using almond flour instead 🙂
The texture might not be the same or hold up as well compared to the original recipe, but I think it will work just fine!
Hope you like the recipe!
-Jess

I’m afraid there isn’t a good substitution for the stevia. The stevia extract I use isn’t synthetic, it’s all-natural and organic (unlike Splenda).
1 tsp of stevia has the sweetness of about 1 cup of sugar, and the vanilla-flavored version adds some flavor as well.
If you don’t mind trying some recipe testing in your kitchen, I would recommend replacing the stevia with 2/3 cup of organic agave nectar. You will also need to add another ~1/3 cup of oat flour and ~1 scoop of the brown rice protein powder to balance out the extra liquid from the agave 🙂
I hope these subs work out for you, and I hope you like the protein bars!!
-Jess

No problem!! I hope you guys like the Homemade Nutella recipe!! 🙂
Though, I’m afraid the egg white protein powder won’t work in these protein bars. Only vegan protein powders work for some reason? I only use brown rice protein powder because I find that it has the best flavor and texture. For some reason, whey, casein and egg white protein powders make the protein “dough” super gooey and sticky. They don’t solidify 🙁
-Jess

Can you suggest an alternate to the stevia, himalayan salt, and maybe the oat flour? I know, sounds crazy,but hear me out. These sound like a nice thing to try making at the Home I work at, but my budget’s only so big, and it’s hard to justify such pricey ingredients

I totally understand! Thankfully, the Pink Himalayan Salt can be substituted with regular salt, and the oat flour is simply ground up oats… a pretty inexpensive ingredient 🙂
Just put about a cup of oats in a blender or food processor and blend until flour-like. Unfortunately, there isn’t a substitute for the stevia. It isn’t that expensive since it’s 100% organic and you only use a small amount at a time.
I hope you like the recipe!
-Jess

Oh no! I’ll update the recipe to give readers a little warning about other protein powders (I tried using whey in these protein bars once and all I got was Nutella “goo”). If you try the recipe again using brown rice protein powder, I hope you love em!! 🙂
-Jess

I’m afraid whey protein just doesn’t work 🙁
For some reason the bars don’t solidify and the dough turns all gooey and sticky. I’ve tried making this recipe with whey so many times and each time it’s a complete fail! Brown rice protein powder is the magic ingredient here 🙂
-Jess

I can’t wait to make them, they look fantastic!!! I live in Romania and here I could find only unflavored brown rice protein. Do you think I could use it instead and flavor it with coco powder or just with chocolate extract?

Unflavored brown rice protein will work just fine! But you’ll definitely need to add some more cocoa powder and some sweetener. I’d say about 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder and ~20 drops more of the stevia extract (or you can use a packeted sweetener, like Truvia or stevia… about 2-4 packets).
I hope you like the recipe Tatiana! 🙂
-Jess

Jess, I replaced the nutella with 2 tbls natural peanut butter and 4 tbls PB2…. and I did half almond flour mixed with the oat flour. I also added 1/4 cup of all natural honey (I have an insane sweet tooth!). They turned out great! Seriously tastes like peanut butter fudge. My bars were 169 calories and 15.7 grams protein. SUCCESS!!!! Thank you so much for the recipe.

Karine Gosselin-
Thank you so much!! I haven’t tried this recipe with soy protein powder so I can’t be sure, but I think it might work 🙂
All I know is that whey, casein and egg proteins DO NOT work… at all 🙁
I’m crossing my fingers the substitution works out for you!!
-Jess

I really want to make these and I only have whey!!! 🙁
Just wondering, for when I need to stock up on protein powders again, what are your views on the best ones? Are there any benefits, health, taste or performance wise, of vegan over whey?
I might get brown rice protein just so I can make these!! haha Haven’t seen any in the shops in the UK though, maybe just because I wasn’t looking for it!

I’m so glad you found my blog too! 🙂
I think all protein powders are definitely good to keep around as supplements and for recipes such as this 😉
Whey is easily digested and the protein has a higher bioavailability compared to brown rice protein. I prefer the taste/texture of whey, but whey just doesn’t work in a lot of recipes 🙁
One thing to keep in mind when you’re buying whey is to buy all-natural! I used to get Optimum Nutrition which has sucralose and artificial ingredients… and then the “natural” one has added sugar. I also took a university course on cows and cow farming practices from an actual member of MONSANTO, just so I could learn the dirty details. For this reason, I only buy organic, grass-fed whey now (the class really horrified me… the teacher was all FOR pumping cows full of hormones!).
I haven’t bought this whey yet, but it’s in my Amazon shopping cart for when I want to make some recipes with whey (it’s organic, grass-fed and pretty cheap compared to others):http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B89182G/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
My favorite brown rice protein is SunWarrior, although there are cheaper brands out there.
Also, protein powder is much cheaper online (I save about $10 PER package by buying online). I hope this helps Chloë!
-Jess

Since I’m allergic to almonds and hazelnuts, I tried a different milk alternative (in this case organic coconut milk beverage by So Delicious).
Also, my nutella was just made and hadn’t been kept in the fridge overnight (thus a bit runny, but with my alternatively using raw selfmade walnut butter, it was just as delicious)
Do you think that’s why my dough was too runny? It didn’t have the firm texture of cookie dough and it was just more sticky when I added more oat flour and a bit more protein powder but not FIRM…

Any advice? 🙁

I put it in the fridge for now and will see how it turns out tomorrow.

PS: Love your healthy dessert recipes, just found your Nutella recipe on Pinterest and followed you to your blog! Greetings from Germany!!

Valerie-
The coconut milk and homemade Nutella should have worked just fine in this recipe. Did you use whey protein instead of brown rice protein? If so, that’s why. Whey, casein and egg protein powders can’t replace brown rice protein because they don’t absorb as much liquid as rice protein 🙁
-Jess

So… I’m reading all your recipes, & they sound Devine! The issue I have is the stevia & truvia- I just can’t stomach the taste! *shudder* They all taste like sugar subs to me. My question is- how do I substitute sugar (for ex. turbinado) in your recipes? I’m assuming it wouldn’t be a straight sub? (For ex., if your recipe calls for 10 packets…)

Jennifer-
Thanks so much! I guess I’m the total opposite haha, I love Truvia especially in my coffee. The stevia doesn’t add an incredibly noticeable flavor or anything, but don’t worry, you can substitute it. As a rule of thumb, 1 tsp of stevia = sweetness of ~1 cup of sugar. This will increase the calories/carbs in the recipe quite a bit.
Since turbinado is granulated, you’ll want to stir it into the almond milk first and let it sit for ~10 minutes so it can dissolve.
(Also note that the DIY Nutella uses stevia too)
I hope you like the recipe!
-Jess

Kelly-
If you look at the recipe, you see that I use DIY Nutella… there’s a link for it too. My homemade Nutella is vegan and dairy free, which makes these DIY Protein Bars vegan and dairy free too! 😀
-Jess

If you don’t mind me asking, why do you advice against Whey protein powder? I noticed you specifically stated not to use it in one of your past recipes and I was just curious as to why you did not want us using it?

Selena-
I don’t have any issue with organic grass-fed whey protein powder, it’s just in my protein bar recipes, whey/casein/egg cannot replace the rice protein. Rice protein thickens up the dough so it’s like cookie dough, while whey/casein/egg protein powder turns it all gooey and sticky. It’s weird, I’m not sure why it does that? But that’s the reason 😀
-Jess

A few years back I bought Trader Joe’s powdered stevia and absolutely hated it… but maybe that’s just me if they’re still selling it? Although, back then I tried it in coffee, not protein bars, so that could have contributed to my reaction. Is there a conversion chart on the bottle you got? 1 tsp of the liquid stevia I used has the sweetness of 1 cup of sugar, so however much the powdered stevia says is equal to 1 cup of sugar is how much you should use. I’m pretty sure it’s similar to liquid stevia, so I guess 1 tsp of powdered stevia should work. If there is no conversion chart, I’d recommend using a 1/2 tsp of powdered stevia and maybe add mini chocolate chips to the dough to compensate for any lacking sweetness (or you can give the dough a taste as you mix it and determine the sweetness level from there!) 😀
-Jess

Holly-
I’ve never used pea protein powder before so I can’t be sure if it’ll work in place of the rice protein… but, since they’re both plant-based I’d say you can try it? All I know is that whey/casein/egg protein powders don’t work because they don’t absorb as much liquid as rice protein. If your pea protein powder absorbs a lot of liquid, then it might work! I’m crossing my fingers it does! 😀
-Jess

this may sound crazy but with all the protein powders you use, have you ever seen a suitable substitution for them in your recipes? i’m on a protein (phenylalanine) restricted diet and cannot do protein powder…but I can do many of your great recipes which are fab!

I haven’t seen a good 1:1 substitute for protein powder… I mean, it might be able to replace but it would take a lot of trial and error :/
I’m glad a lot of my other recipes will work for you though! I’ll try to be wary of how much protein powder I use now. Have a great week Jessica!
-Jess

Hey Nanci! In case you didn’t see the bottom of the post, the recipes that were added to my cookbook, DIY Protein Bars, were taken off the blog since they were remade and improved specifically for the cookbook. Don’t worry, though, there are still 450 or so remaining recipes still available on DWB! 😀
-Jess

Hi Lou!
The Nutella Fudge DIY Protein Bars recipe is only available in the cookbook, sorry! But I just calculated the price, and it equals out to just 46 cents per recipe (or 25 cents if you get the Kindle version). I totally understand, I was broke in college too 😉
Best,
-Jess

I eat a low carb diet. I see that your recipe is no longer available on your site. Are the recipes in your book low carb? I just don’t want to buy the book just to find out that I can’t use any of the recipes. Thanks!

A few of the recipes in the cookbook are truly low-carb (no grains, such as the Peanut Butter Fudge Protein Bars), but most of them use oat flour. Is that okay with you? I looked through the nutrition labels and the carbohydrate count, per bar, ranges from 7g-34g, depending on the flavor. In case you were curious, the protein bar with 7g of carbohydrates is the Coconut Butter Fudge Protein Bar. The protein bar with 34g of carbohydrates is the Protein Powder-Free Protein Bar.
Hope this helps!! 😀
-Jess

These look amazing – I’ve been wanting to make a healthy grab and go snack lately and these could even double as dessert. If I were lucky em ought to receive your cookbook, I would find the chocolate-iest one and start with that first ??

hi. I am interested (very) in these DIY protein bars, but I’d like to know if the bars are or can be EASILY adapted to suit my diet, which does not allow any grains or regular sweeteners. I am able to use protein powders, stevia…Thanks <3

Hi Monika,
In the protein bar posts on the blog, I list all of the ingredients in the recipe. Oat flour is often one of them, so if you don’t eat grains then this book probably isn’t for you. If you do eat oats as an exception, then you might enjoy the cookbook. The top 4 common ingredients I’d say are brown rice protein powder, liquid stevia extract, nut/seed butters, and oat flour. Hope this helps!! 🙂
-Jess

Unfortunately, coconut flour is one of few flours that cannot replace other flours, and vice versa. It absorbs waaaay too much liquid. I have a Coconut Protein Bar recipe in the book, but it took a few trials to get it right because coconut flour is so finicky!

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Welcome to Desserts With Benefits®! My name is Jessica and there’s a good chance I’m eating cake as we speak (healthy cake, of course)! Here at DWB, we use good-for-you ingredients to make balanced treats we can feel good about eating. (Read More »)

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